“He’s the best tennis player right now,” Carlos Alcaraz said of his upcoming French Open final opponent and archrival, World No. 1 Jannik Sinner. “I mean, he’s destroying every opponent.” Well, that’s true, considering the results the Italian has amassed at the Roland Garros in the last two weeks. Zero sets lost so far in six matches. That’s the sheer level of domination he’s shown. But Alcaraz has been solid as well. He’s made it to his second straight Roland Garros final as a defending champion this weekend. Prior to the campaign on the Parisian clay, he also won two ATP Masters 1000 events on the very surface. But on Sunday, it will be a different challenge altogether. For the first time, he and Sinner will lock horns in a Grand Slam final. Can it get bigger than this?
Match Details
Date: June 8, 2025
Round: Final
Venue: Philippe Chatrier, Roland Garros, Paris, France.
Time: 3:00 PM CET
Where to watch: USA—TNT and truTV | UK—Sky Sports | Canada—TSN
Carlos Alcaraz vs. Jannik Sinner: Preview
Carlos Alcaraz has gone from strength to strength this season. He began the year with a solid run at the Australian Open, reaching the quarterfinal stage. Then a month later, he clinched his maiden indoor hard court title in Rotterdam, defeating Alex de Minaur. In Indian Wells, he was looking to pull off a three-peat of title wins (after 2023 and 2024). Unfortunately, eventual winner and British star Jack Draper ousted him in the semis. But then came a tough phase for the Spaniard in Miami. In the first round, Belgium’s David Goffin stunned the four-time slam champion with a score line of 5-7, 6-4, 6-3.
However, Alcaraz didn’t let himself get demoralized. So what did he do next? He found his form once again at Monte Carlo. In the final, he beat Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti to clinch his first-ever trophy in the Masters 1000 event. He then reached the summit clash of the Barcelona Open, too. But Denmark’s Holger Rune outperformed him and lifted the trophy.
The Spaniard didn’t take long to clinch his third ATP title of the season. At the Italian Open, Alcaraz beat archrival Jannik Sinner in the final with a score line of 7-6(5), 6-1. Entering the French Open, he kicked off his campaign with a comfortable win over Italy’s Giulio Zeppieri. Then in the second and third rounds, he took down Hungarian Fábián Marozsán and Bosnia’s Damir Džumhur. Facing American youngster Ben Shelton in the fourth round, Alcaraz succeeded in entering the QF stage with a score line of 7-6(8), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.
The 22-year-old then met another American, Tommy Paul, and demolished him with a score line of 6-0, 6-1, 6-4. Moving into the semis, he showed a solid performance against Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti after losing the first set. Alcaraz won the second and third sets. However, Musetti opted to retire from the event during the fourth set due to a left thigh injury. With that, the Spaniard made it to his second-straight French Open final.
Image Credits: Carlos Alcaraz/Instagram
Speaking of his opponent, Jannik Sinner had a phenomenal start to the 2025 season back in January. He won his second straight Australian Open title, defeating Alexander Zverev in the final. With a score line of 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-3, the world No. 1 won his third overall Grand Slam. Unfortunately, he was then compelled to take a long break from professional tennis following the doping case. It lasted three months.
Although WADA termed him innocent, it stated in a statement from February that “an athlete bears responsibility for the entourage’s negligence.” Later, Sinner revealed the key reason behind accepting the 90-day ban. In a statement issued by his lawyers, he mentioned, “This case had been hanging over me for nearly a year and the process still had a long time to run, with a decision, maybe only at the end of the year.”
After the ban ended, Sinner began his official training sessions on April 13. Following which, he made his comeback at the Italian Open last month. The three-time slam champion succeeded in reaching the final clash. However, he couldn’t lift the trophy against an in-form Alcaraz. Coming into the French Open, Sinner kicked off his campaign with an easy win over Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech. In the second and third rounds, he then edged out Richard Gasquet and Jiri Lehecka. Continuing his dominant run, the Italian then took down Andrey Rublev in the fourth round before ousting Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik. On Friday, in the semifinal encounter, he outperformed 24-time slam king Novak Djokovic with a score line of 6-4, 7-5, 7-6(3) to confirm his ‘final meeting’ with Alcaraz.
Alcaraz vs. Sinner: Head-to-Head
The two players have met 11 times across ATP events so far. Currently, Alcaraz leads the H2H tally 7-4 against Sinner. When they played against each other the last time, it was just a month ago. During the Italian Open this season, the Spaniard emerged victorious against the Italian pro in the summit clash.
2025 Italian Rome F: Alcaraz 7-6(5), 6-1
2024 Beijing F: Alcaraz 6-7, 6-4, 7-6(3)
2024 French Open SF: Alcaraz 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
2024 Indian Wells SF: Alcaraz 1-6, 6-3, 6-2
2023 Beijing SF: Sinner 7-6(4), 6-1
2023 Miami Open SF: Sinner 6-7, 6-4, 6-2
2023 Indian Wells SF: Alcaraz 7-6(4), 6-3
2022 US Open QF: Alcaraz 6-3, 6-7, 6-7, 7-5, 6-3
2022 Umag F: Sinner 6-7, 6-1, 6-1
2022 Wimbledon R16 (Fourth Round): Sinner 6-1, 6-4, 6-7, 6-3
2021 Paris Masters R32: Alcaraz 7-6(1), 7-5
Prediction: Carlos Alcaraz to win in five sets
When it comes to singles stats this season, Carlos Alcaraz has won 36 of his 41 matches. It translates to an impressive win percentage of 87.80. On the other hand, Jannik Sinner hasn’t played many tournaments due to the three-month suspension. But he’s amassed a phenomenal record. Out of 19 matches played, he’s clinched victories in 18 while losing only 1. At the moment, he’s got an outstanding win percentage of 94.73.
Coming onto their event history, Alcaraz has experienced a great run at the French Open in recent years. In his last three appearances (2022, 2023, and 2024), the Spaniard reached the QF, then the semis, and then eventually won the trophy. In the final battle last season, he bested Germany’s Alexander Zverev with a score line of 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2. On the other hand, the Parisian clay hasn’t proved to be friendly for Sinner. In his previous three campaigns (2022, 2023, and 2024), he was ousted in the fourth round and then the second round before losing in the semis against Alcaraz last season.
Now coming onto their playing styles, Alcaraz is famous for his unparalleled athleticism on the court. In short, the former world No. 1 can make smooth adjustments in his movement between the baseline and the net. He’s got impressive drop shots, too, in his arsenal. Moreover, his groundstrokes provide him added benefit to build pressure on the opponents. And what about Sinner? Well, he’s known for his outstanding ball-striking abilities. Generally, he likes to dominate the matches from the baseline. But he’s equally good at covering the court while also approaching the net when required. Not to forget his solid forehand and backhand shots.
Taking into consideration the H2H stats and overall form this season, Carlos Alcaraz looks to be the potential winner. Yes, Sinner has won a slam down under in 2025, but the Spaniard has also won three trophies. Plus, he’s already got the experience of playing the summit clash at the Roland Garros last year. On Sunday, the Italian may pose a strong challenge but Alcaraz is expected to lift his second French Open trophy after five sets.
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